1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rimless spectacles. More particularly, it relates to rimless spectacles and a method of manufacturing the same using laser welding techniques.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has been an ongoing trend in the eyeglass industry to reduce and ideally eliminate the means for retaining the eyeglass lenses on the wearer""s face. Originally, and still today, eyeglasses are manufactured using complete frames. These frames would encompass the entire circumferential edge of the lens and thereby enable the connection of temple arms and a bridge to the lens frame structure.
After the original eyeglass frames, other versions such as partial frame or wire frame assemblies were introduced. The wire frame embodiment was such that the lenses are circumferentially entirely encompassed by very thin, small wires that attach to the temple arm portions. The wire frames provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance by substantially eliminating the visible frame from the eyeglass construction, and allowing the lens itself to define the shape of the eyeglasses. It is this aesthetic appearance that has brought on the most recent trend of rimless spectacles. In any of the above cases, the lenses must be edged before they can be inserted into hard or wire frames. This edging is required in order to facilitate the fabrication of the glasses.
Rimless spectacles are directed at providing the least amount of hardware between the bridge, temple arms and the lenses. An example of rimless spectacles can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,004,005. As shown and described, rimless spectacles require the drilling of holes through the lenses for the purpose of mounting the bridge and temple arms with screws or other hardware.
International Patent Application No. PCT/DK87/00008 discloses a Lens Holding Means for Glasses, particularly for Rimless Glasses. The bridge and temple arms are fastened to the lenses by means of holding portions that are received in holes or recesses in the lenses themselves.
The manufacturing of rimless spectacles is time and labor intensive, as it requires the precise drilling of holes through the lenses and subsequent mounting of the temple arms and bridge to physically construct the rimless spectacles. This labor intensive process is performed after the lenses have been cut for the wearer""s prescription and to the preferred shaped.
It is therefore desirable to provide a rimless spectacle that eliminates the need for drilling holes in the lenses and which can be manufactured without requiring labor intensive processes.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a rimless spectacles that overcomes the shortfalls of the prior art and eliminates the need for additional hardware to mount the rimless supporting structures of the bridge and temple arms.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method for manufacturing rimless spectacles that eliminates the need for drilling holes in the lenses to mount the supporting structures of the bridge and temple arms.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a method for manufacturing rimless spectacles that uses laser welding and specialized laser wavelength absorbing materials to attach the temple arms and bridge to the respective lenses.
These and other objects are achieved in accordance with an embodiment of the invention wherein the method for manufacturing rimless spectacles includes the steps of providing a connection region between the lens and the rimless supporting structure wherein the connection region includes a radiation absorbing dye having a predetermined wavelength absorbing band, and exposing the radiation absorbing dye to a source of radiation operating at a wavelength within the predetermined wavelength band of the radiation absorbing dye.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the method of manufacturing rimless spectacles includes the steps of providing a connection region between an edge of the lens and the rimless supporting structure where the connection region includes a radiation absorbing dye having a predetermined wavelength absorbing band, and exposing the radiation absorbing dye to a source of radiation operating at a wavelength within the predetermined wavelength absorbing band.
In accordance with various embodiments of the invention, the radiation absorbing dye may be disposed in the connection region by applying the same to an external surface of the lens and/or the rimless structure at the point of contact between the two parts. The radiation dye may also be incorporated into the lens and/or the rimless supporting structures during the manufacturing of the same.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.